Do It Yourself

About do it yourself evangelist Ross Macintosh, DesignStop.Com Webmiester

I'm Ross Macintosh and this is not my resume. If you can spare the time to read the following paragraphs I know you'll learn something about me and perhaps, more importantly, something valuable about yourself - that regarding a creative website, you can do it yourself.

I'm the guy who develops DesignStop.Com. It is a labor of love. It has developed from an idea that lots of people resist creating their own sites because they assume it is difficult or that it is expensive. I knew they could be shown that it can be easy to create professional looking sites and that doing so can be fun and inexpensive. My focus with the galleries and graphics on this site have been to help the visitor realize that anyone can indeed create good-looking web graphics. I hope my tips and encouragement will help others to experience the satisfaction I get from my creative efforts.

As a child and as a teenager, I drew constantly. With each drawing you get a little better and it gets a little easier. You learn to do it yourself. After thousands of drawings it actually becomes quite easy to use drawings as a means of communication. When you learn to communicate by drawing, others (who have not learned) will tell you have "talent". I don't really believe in such "talent". I believe those who haven't developed the skills defensively use it as an excuse, claiming they have no talent. Others, who feel talented, use it has a way of setting themselves apart from others - "I'm better than you because I'm more talented". My views on talent were shaped by the experience of attending architectural school. I believed I had talent. As a freshman, I was really surprised that many of my classmates weren't able to draw. I was surprised by their lack of talent; gasp, some could barely manage to draw stick people! However by the time we graduated everyone could draw. Along the way those stick people gave way to beautiful and creative architectural renderings. Certainly some could draw better than others, but all learned to effectively express themselves through drawing. From this I learned that all of us have the facility within us to draw.

Drawing, of course, is just one way to express your creativity. All of us are creative beings. I believe that when we act creatively our lives are enriched. Unfortunately, it is possible to live our lives devoid of much creativity. Our lives are far richer when our brains crackle with the sparks of creative thoughts. Working as a architectural designer, I've found the more we "exercise" our creativity, the more creative we become. Creativity feeds on itself. When you regularly act creatively, whether it's playing with your children or thinking of how you'll spend future lottery winnings, your life becomes a series of opportunities in which you can express yourself creatively. I believe you're better for it.

The internet fascinates me because of its potential as a creative outlet for individuals. Almost anyone can have a website. On their websites they have almost limitless freedom of expression. I know from experience that it is considerably easier to learn the skills necessary to express yourself in a website than it is to learn to draw. When I watch my five-year old play his computer games, I know that once he learns to read he'll have no trouble creating his own website. Developing a website has become easy enough that the average six or seven-year old can have fun creating one. Notwithstanding the amazing capabilities of children, my point here is that creating your own website can be quite a bit easier than you might think.

Even folks much dimmer than yourself can drive a two ton car in busy traffic while singing along with Mick Jagger, whilst thinking about what to have for supper. We have the capacity to do these things without even thinking about what we're doing. Given the incredible capacity of the human mind, no one needs to be intimidated into thinking that creating a website is beyond their capabilities. You do harder things every day. You can do it yourself.

I have yet to come across anyone who couldn't potentially create somewhat interesting content for a website. Even the most mind-numbingly boring people I've ever met could potentially create something capable of surprising, entertaining, enlightening, or educating others. Sure, the web is littered with thousands (if not millions) of boring and ugly websites - I don't believe their developers should be condemned for trying. If they were aware of the tools and resources available that make the act of creating interesting websites easier, I'm sure they would have taken advantage of them. I don't kid myself, my efforts with this site certainly won't cure the web of seriously lame websites. I just hope I can help a few people find that the web is a fun way to express themselves. Perhaps their success will encourage others in similar creative pursuits, and so on, and so on ...

Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts. I hope I don't come across too preachy. If I do, my hope is that you'll forgive me; it's probably in my blood - my father was a minister! I learned from my father to respect opinions different from my own. He taught me that I could learn from others. With that thought, I invite you to write to with any criticism, comments, ideas, or links you think might help me or this site. And lastly, remember that you can do it yourself.

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